They joined White Helmets to save souls. Now they're saving history
Part of the Fertile Crescent, Syria's location at the juncture of three continents has bestowed it with one of the richest and most diverse archaeological legacies in the world, dating back more than 10,000 years to the earliest roots of civilisation. Much of that legacy, however, is under threat — menaced by the legacy of war, the natural environment and human actors.
Now, in a landmark agreement with the new government in Damascus, the White Helmets will begin a two-year mission to survey and safeguard sites of archaeological and cultural significance, including the citadel at Aleppo, the ruined city
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North Wales Live
2 days ago
- North Wales Live
Deadly wildfires lead to evacuations in Greece, France, Spain and Italy
Wildfires spreading across Greece have claimed at least one life and destroyed 16,000 acres of land. A man tragically lost his life in the Keratea region near Athens, with the National Observatory in Greece warning that winds fuelling the flames will persist into Monday. Italy has been forced to close the national park surrounding Mount Vesuvius due to ongoing wildfires, deploying six planes to aid firefighting efforts. A fire service spokesman announced: "For safety reasons and... to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice." Firefighters in Spain are also battling a blaze in Carcastillo, Navarra. The fire ignited on Saturday night, August 9, in a pine forest located next to the road between Carcastillo and Figarol, in Llano de Larrate, and continues to ravage areas of Aleppo pine. On Sunday night, authorities escalated the emergency level for the operation of the Special Emergency Civil Protection Plan for forest fires in the Foral Community of Navarra (INFONA). In France, 1,500 firefighters are working to control a fire in Aude. The wildfires have been contained within a 62 square mile area of woodland, reports Bristol Live. Aude prefect Christian Pouget said: "The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) reignition." He said one person has died and 25 have been injured in the fires. Firefighters said the oncoming heatwaves could make the fires worse. "The fire won't be extinguished for several weeks," said Colonel Christophe Magny, director of the Aude fire department. Monday is forecast to be the hottest day nationwide in France. Pouget said 1,000 people had not yet been able to return to their homes after the fire swept through 15 communes in the Corbieres mountain region, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes. Some 1,300 homes were left without electricity after infrastructure was extensively damaged, the Aude prefecture said. Residents have been warned not to return home without authorisation, as many roads remain blocked and dangerous. Those forced to flee have been housed in emergency shelters across 17 municipalities. Many fled to the community of Tuchan when the fire started on Tuesday, its mayor Beatrice Bertrand told the Associated Press. "We have received and hosted over 200 people. We gave them food, thanks to local businesses who opened their stores despite it being very late," Ms Bertrand said. "Civil Protection brought us beds. And also the local villagers offered their homes to welcome them. It was their first night here and many were shocked and scared." An investigation is under way to determine what sparked the fire. Authorities said the fire was the largest recorded since France's national fire database was created in 2006, but the minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, went further, calling the blaze the worst since 1949 and linking it to climate change. The Mediterranean basin has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, injured around 300 people. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. In Greece, the fast-moving wildfire forced a series of evacuations south east of Athens, approaching residential areas as firefighters battled strong winds. The blaze advanced over scrub-covered hillsides in the Keratea region, spreading through an area with scattered homes 25 miles from the capital. The Fire Service said one man was found dead during evacuation. As the flames tore through clusters of homes, gas canisters used for cooking exploded, cars went up in flames and residents battled from porches to save their homes. Firefighting planes and helicopters swooped over the flames that sent thick black clouds of smokes toward coastal areas. Authorities deployed 190 firefighters supported by volunteers, and police blocked traffic in the area to allow fire engines through. Strong winds disrupted ferry services at ports around Athens. A wildfire fuelled by strong winds in north-west Turkey prompted authorities to evacuate a university campus and an elderly care home and to suspend some maritime traffic on Friday, reports said. The flow of ships through the Dardanelles Strait was temporarily halted due to heavy smoke and reduced visibility in the narrow waterway. The fire broke out at an agricultural field near Saricaeli village, in Canakkale province, before spreading rapidly into a nearby forested area. With the flames approaching dangerously close to the care home and a campus of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, both facilities were evacuated as a precaution, the Cumhuriyet newspaper and other media reported. Footage aired by Haberturk TV showed a fire engine being engulfed in flames, forcing firefighters to flee.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
The lost art of hitchhiking: What we can still learn from travel's most radical mode?
Long dismissed as dangerous, hitchhiking is being rediscovered by a new generation of travellers seeking connection, adventure and a low-carbon way to see the world. In 2022, travellers Alexandra Menz and Bernhard Endlicher were standing on the side of the road under the blazing sun near the Turkish-Syrian border, trying to make it to Mardin. It was too hot to walk, so they mustered their friendliest smiles and stuck their thumbs out to hitchhike. A car soon screeched to a halt, and inside was a bride wearing a white dress and a groom in a tuxedo. "Hop in! We're going to our wedding," the couple said. An hour later, Menz and Endlicher found themselves in the Kurdish city of Nusaybin as guests at the couple's nuptials. Welcome to a day in the itinerant lives of Menz and Endlicher, an Austrian duo who have documented their 4,000 car rides with strangers in more than 65 countries on social media. Lured by its low carbon footprint and high chance at authentic human connection, the couple have chosen hitchhiking as their literal and figurative vehicle to travel.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
If Kuwait wants to be the next Dubai, it still has a long way to go
For decades, Kuwait has stood in the shadow of its flashier Gulf neighbours. While Dubai dazzled the world with futuristic skylines and shopping malls the size of cities, and Qatar grabbed headlines with its glitzy World Cup, Kuwait kept largely to itself. No glossy tourist board campaigns. No bid for Expo. No island resorts rising from the sea. But that may be changing. Kuwait, a nation of pearl-diving heritage and oil-fuelled prosperity, is quietly angling to become the Gulf's next luxury travel hotspot. Not in the shouty, gold-plated way of Dubai, but in a more low-key, culturally rooted, design-conscious fashion. New hotels are opening, Kuwaiti entrepreneurs are investing in home-grown hospitality ventures, and the country's creative class is shaping something distinctive. But can it work? And more importantly, will anyone come? A country with money, taste… and rules On paper, Kuwait has all the raw materials for upscale tourism: money, safety, a dramatic desert-meets-sea landscape, a thriving dining scene, and one of the most fashion-forward populations in the Gulf. Kuwaitis are well-travelled, multilingual, and spend freely. They appreciate design, cuisine, and culture. Yet there's a fundamental paradox at the heart of Kuwait's tourism ambitions: it wants to attract the outside world, without compromising its inward values. Unlike Dubai or Doha, Kuwait is dry; there is no alcohol, and very little nightlife in the Western sense. Public displays of affection are frowned upon, and dress codes in public spaces are expected to be modest. There have been criticisms of the country's restrictions on freedom of expression, and poor treatment of migrant workers. Tourist visas are available, but bureaucracy can be slow and frustrating. Add to this a chronic underinvestment in tourism infrastructure – until fairly recently, there were barely a handful of internationally branded hotels – and you start to see the scale of the challenge. A new scene, quietly unfolding The 'real Kuwait' is best experienced through its blossoming dining and lifestyle scene, much of it created by locals for locals but now ready to welcome curious visitors. There's VOL.1, a sleek industrial coffee shop where baristas hand-pour single-origin Ethiopian beans beneath raw concrete ceilings. And then there's Dar Hamad, a fine-dining restaurant serving elevated takes on traditional Kuwaiti cuisine: grilled zubaidi fish, saffron-scented machboos, date syrup desserts, within a beautifully restored mid-century villa. Midar Restaurant brings traditional Kuwaiti cuisine into focus, specialising in freshly caught seafood sourced directly from local fishermen. Its menu is inspired by both Kuwait's desert heritage and urban vibrancy, giving diners an authentic taste of place in an elegant setting. For a touch of Lebanese glamour, Babel is a must. The restaurant is as much about the interiors – grand arches, warm lighting, intricate stonework – as it is about the food. Known for its artfully presented mezze and grilled dishes, it's often chosen for special occasions, offering a sophisticated, regional dining experience. French fine dining has its place in Kuwait too. Lenôtre, a long-standing name in the city's restaurant scene, has been given a fresh lease of life with a redesigned, seasonal menu. While savoury dishes shine, it's the desserts (especially the caramel soufflé) that keep locals and visitors coming back. And for those missing a taste of the West, Smoke Me BBQ delivers American-style smoked meats with authenticity. Brisket, ribs, and pulled pork (beef-based, in keeping with local customs) are smoked low and slow, drawing in expats and Western travellers alike who crave bold, familiar flavours. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Smoke Me BBQ سموك مي باربكيو (@smokemekw) Beyond dining, there's a cultural undercurrent worth exploring. Contemporary art galleries such as CAP Kuwait host regional exhibitions, while the Yarmouk Cultural Centre stages everything from photography retrospectives to classical music performances. Along the waterfront, there's growing talk of reimagining the country's 500km coastline for luxury resorts, and restoring historic Failaka Island as a boutique wellness destination. Who is Kuwait for? Kuwait has long been a stop for business travellers, oil consultants, and the occasional diplomat. But for sun-seeking Europeans, it's never been a contender. The lack of alcohol alone is a dealbreaker for many package holidaymakers. And yet – as the raft of Saudi-owned alcohol-free resorts popping up on the Red Sea coast prove – that might not matter. The country isn't aiming to become the next Ibiza. It's not even aiming to become the next Doha. Instead, Kuwait's tourism ambitions appear to be quietly calibrated toward two groups: the affluent, well-travelled Arab diaspora seeking authenticity over artifice; and a new generation of experience-led travellers more interested in design, food, and culture than cocktails by the pool. It helps that Kuwait is becoming easier to access. Its international airport, once an ordeal, has been modernised. Direct flights operate from London with Kuwait Airways and British Airways. Visas are now available online for most Western nationalities. The catch Still, challenges remain. Compared to the polished, PR-driven offerings of Saudi or the UAE, Kuwait's brand is opaque. Tourism is not yet a government priority in the way it is elsewhere. There is no central campaign, no English-language portal enticing travellers to visit. And while Kuwaitis are famously hospitable, there remains a wariness about opening the country up too fast or too broadly. The biggest hurdle might not be infrastructure or alcohol, it might be narrative. In a world saturated by viral travel content and Instagrammable moments, Kuwait's understated charm is a harder sell. It requires curiosity, patience, and respect for cultural nuance. It is not a destination for everyone. But for those who want something different, and more real, that might be precisely the point. Essentials Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya (rooms from £380 per night) is the city's most luxurious address, offering sleek rooms, a rooftop pool, a full-service spa, and five high-end dining venues. Millennium Hotel & Convention Centre Kuwait (rooms from £140 per night) is a five-star option located in the Salmiya district, with 295 rooms and suites, a health club, outdoor pool, spa, and multiple restaurants. Popular with both business and leisure travellers for its proximity to the city's retail and cultural attractions. Kuwait Airways and British Airways operate direct flights from London Heathrow to Kuwait City, with fares from £390 return.
